Chapter 21: Could it be that it's not really Haki?

"Of course, I've never tried it, but I remember several movements, so let me show you some."

Kai assumed a basic karate stance he had seen his father perform: back straight, feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, right hand raised to waist level with the palm facing up and fist closed, while the left hand, also in a fist, extended in front of him at chest level with the elbow slightly bent.

When the Pussycats saw Kai's stance, they were a bit surprised by the level of detail. But their thoughts were interrupted when Kai suddenly threw a punch, his hands moving as if connected by a crank in his back.

Kai's punch made the air vibrate, but he didn't stop there. He continued with the complete Taikyoku Shodan Shotokan kata, advancing and retreating with controlled, repetitive movements, sometimes blocking and sometimes attacking, almost as if he were performing a choreography.

The Pussycats couldn't take their eyes off him, watching in amazement as Kai seemed to improve with each strike, making them more natural and powerful. By the end of the kata, the air became his instrument, playing a terrifying symphony of pure power.

Kai's movements were far from perfect, but no one would believe they were performed by a novice trying for the first time. He seemed like someone who had been practicing karate for years, close to achieving a small accomplishment, which, combined with his super strength, made him quite intimidating.

But Kai didn't stop. After karate, he quickly adopted the classic Muay Thai stance: feet shoulder-width apart, arms raised with elbows bent at right angles, hands pointing upward at forehead height.

Moments after assuming his pose, Kai's rear leg bent and then shot forward with impressive speed, ending with the characteristic sound of a strike through the air, followed by several coordinated and dynamic punches, knee strikes, and elbows.

"What did you think?" Kai asked curiously after dropping his stance. To which Chatora responded with a serious expression.

"You pay great attention to detail, Kai-kun. Your movements were very well executed."

"Haha, thanks."

"Would you like to train your moves with me a bit?" Chatora asked, curious about the skills of the small blue-eyed one, who responded enthusiastically.

"Of course, it would be an honor."

(What a perfect opportunity to test my 'Observation Haki' intent reading.)

Immediately after responding, Kai took a basic boxing stance that left Chatora a bit puzzled, but he decided to ignore it and simply threw a basic karate kick. Despite his strength, Kai struggled to defend against it, and after a few more strikes, Chatora realized the obvious.

Kai had no idea how to fight. While he could throw good jabs, that was all he could do. Due to the reach difference, he was basically ineffective. At the same time, he hadn't used his legs even once, despite his ability to execute basic Karate and Muay Thai moves well just moments before.

"Let's stop for a bit, Kai-kun. You were really just imitating what you saw and have no idea how to apply it in reality."

Kai smiled awkwardly and nodded, feeling a bit confused inside.

(I couldn't sense his intent even once. Could it be that it's not really Haki? That would be a bit discouraging, as my aura did turn out to be Nen. But what should I focus on to anticipate his actions?

In moments like these, I should take 'inspiration' from other systems. The problem is that Haki is quite unique in that sense. Although other power systems have techniques with similar results, including Nen, it's not exactly the same. Come on, Kai, think, think...)

"Ryuko, help me show Kai-kun what real martial arts training looks like. I'd like to see what he learns."

"Sure, make sure to watch closely, Kai."

Ryuko responded with a smile as she separated from Tomoko and Shino, who, along with her, had been watching the little and adorable genius's performance with interest.

"I'll watch every detail."

Ryuko and Chatora stood side by side, then took their respective stances and began a battle choreography that showcased their incredible skills and reflexes. After a few exchanges, Chatora found an opening and landed a small hit on Ryuko.

An ugly expression involuntarily appeared on Ryuko's beautiful face. After all, she had been shown up too quickly in front of Kai. Determined to redeem her 'embarrassment,' she used her quirk a little, believing no one would notice, to destabilize Chatora.

Noticing Ryuko's small dirty trick, Chatora smiled playfully and immediately made full use of his flexible body. Soon, the 'demonstration training' turned into more of a showcase of skills and quirks.

Kai, on his part, was struck by a ray of inspiration when he saw the strange expression on Ryuko's face.

(That's right, by focusing too much on relatively complete power systems, I didn't pay attention to that little manga about battles between gods and humans in a Colosseum, where they seemed to like making quite strange expressions.

In that manga, a similar ability, although it was seeing rather than sensing, had basically the same effects. According to what they said, a person's soul will always move faster than their body, so the character with special eyes could anticipate all his opponents' moves.

So, if I follow that logic, I should try to sense something deeper than just 'voices' or presences. I should look for something like the 'voice' of their souls or something like that, but will it work? Well, it's not like I have anything to lose, so let's try it.)

Curious, Kai closed his eyes and focused entirely on the 'voices' of Ryuko and Chatora, trying to delve deeper into them, searching for that missing piece to sense intent. Suddenly, he began to perceive a slight tremor in the 'voices,' so he quickly concentrated fully on one and tried to 'understand' it in some way.

The deeper Kai delved into the 'voice,' the more it seemed to stop making sense, much like repeating the same word too many times or focusing too much on a specific sensation. Nevertheless, he kept trying until he suddenly opened his eyes and watched the fight while whispering to himself.

"Jump to the left…"

When Chatora indeed jumped to the left to avoid a clump of dirt heading his way, Kai could barely contain his excitement. After all, he had done it. The sensation was still very faint, but it was true Haki or, at the very least, something very similar.

Filled with excitement and curiosity, Kai continued studying that sensation, which was incredibly strange, almost instinctive, like the human ability to know where their hands are without looking. He began to feel the intentions of the 'voices' more clearly, but this stopped when Shino raised her voice and said:

"That's enough, you two. What happened to the demonstration for Kai-kun?"

Ryuko and Chatora looked down a bit embarrassed as they apologized to Kai.

"We're sorry, Kai-kun. We got carried away."

"Don't worry, I feel like I've learned a lot watching your demonstration."

"Really? Do you want to try again?"

"Sure."

Kai and Chatora stood facing each other again, and once more, Kai took his boxing stance and waited for Chatora to make his move. This time, he easily dodged and tried to close in quickly, but Chatora simply changed his move halfway, surprising him for a moment. Thanks to his quick reflexes, Kai managed to block the kick.

(So this can happen too. Their intention can change suddenly. How interesting...)

The sparring lasted a bit longer, but this time, Kai improved with each encounter, dodging more easily and responding without delay to Chatora's sudden changes. He even landed several powerful rights that Chatora had to avoid by cheating a bit with his flexibility. This prompted Chatora to urge Kai to try more things.

"Kai-kun, try using the moves you showed a while ago, the ones you copied from your father."

"Alright."

Kai thought it was a good idea, so after nodding, he immediately switched to the Muay Thai stance, almost instantly noticing the changes, being able to respond more easily in the fight while feeling somehow 'freer,' as if he had been fighting with one hand tied before.

Although the results were better than with just boxing, Kai was still unable to land a hit. Despite his power, due to his small stature, he didn't have the reach, and against someone as fast, experienced, and flexible as Chatora, he had no chance, managing only to hit the air.

On the other hand, Kai was relying heavily on his Haki to know what to do; otherwise, he would have taken many more hits than he already had. This wouldn't be so bad if his Haki were well-trained, but it wasn't, so he often lost concentration and stopped sensing intentions, which he quickly paid for with a hit. Moreover, those intentions weren't very reliable, as they could change suddenly.

Because of this, Kai was becoming increasingly frustrated. Despite his numerous advantages, he was losing very pathetically. Suddenly, a drop of sweat fell from his face and hit his pants, reminding him of a phrase someone very famous had said in his past life.

(It was... empty your mind, be formless, be like water, my friend, or something like that, right? Well, I might as well try it...)

With no better plan, Kai decided to try applying that famous phrase. After all, it wasn't like he would die if it didn't work, so he tried to clear his mind. But that didn't go very well when he was suddenly attacked, and if not for his Haki, he would be on the ground. So he adjusted his thoughts a bit.

(I should focus on nothing but the fight, you idiot!!)

After mentally scolding himself for that stupid mistake and solemnly vowing never to tell anyone, Kai stopped thinking about everything and focused entirely on his Observation Haki, concentrating solely on dodging, completely giving up on attacking.

The attacks became increasingly faster and tighter, making dodging more difficult. However, this 'pressure' seemed to drive Kai, who started to sense the intentions more clearly, while his body began to move more fluidly and efficiently, dodging with fewer movements and by a smaller margin.

But quickly, that extreme concentration took its toll on Kai, who began to feel both physically and mentally exhausted. He then decided to make one last attempt. Using his improved flexibility and body control, he dodged a spinning kick at the last moment, ducking and leaving Chatora with minimal time to react.

In one fluid motion, Kai delivered a strong kick to Chatora's supporting leg, catching him by surprise. However, Chatora immediately took advantage of his flexibility, bending his leg impossibly in the air and giving Kai a 'hit' on the head. Like the previous ones, it was more of a shove than anything else, as he didn't want to hurt the little boy.

After the 'hit,' Kai simply let himself fall to the ground, exhausted. So Chatora, with a smile on his face and only slightly sweaty but still in perfect condition, commented.

"Well, Kai-kun, that was a great fight. You learn very quickly. Do you plan to learn martial arts?"

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An extra chapter as a thank you to HunterGenius for joining my Patreon. Thank you very much for your support.